Star of Happiness
by Angel Little
Summary: Once there was a small island Kingdom known as the Island of Happiness to outsiders. Only it had lost its happiness... now it is said a star will fall to the earth to bring back the happiness... but what if the star has forgotten? Vaughn X Chelsea/fantasy
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay so I've been playing around with the HM fantasy (no not Rune factory) story. It's a little of taking the character out of their elementary and mixing in some crazy magic and castles. The goddess just lends herself to these things. I hope you like it. This part will be mostly introducing the setting but I hope you find it well written if not entertaining.**

**Of course, with sadness, I will admit I do not own Harvest moon or any of the characters from HM: Island of Happiness. Natsume owns all rights.**

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><p><em><span>Prologue<span>_

Once there was a small island kingdom called Sol. It was called this because the sun shone down upon the island almost all year round and even in the most blistering winter there was always sure to be sunlight as soon as the clouds disappeared. The kingdom was ruled by a just and fair family.

The ruler, King Elias, in particular, was a favorite among his people. Elias was not originally from the island. A prince from a distant kingdom he had left his own palace in search of knowledge and adventure when his eldest brother had taken the throne. Upon greeting the royalty of the island he fell in love with the ruling King's daughter, Felicia, and with time grew to love the small island as well. On the day of their marriage, his predecessor King Taro made a strange announcement. He believed that Elias would bring more prosperity to Sol then he ever had or ever could. So as a wedding present to the newlyweds he stepped down and retired to travel the world.

Soon it became apparent that he had been right. With Elias ruling, his knowledge and friends he had attained as he had traveled the world reaching out to help him, Sol prospered more than it had ever before. For in Sol, even the royalty worked hand in hand with the peasantry. Each day the royal family rode into the only village on the island and the King and his wife spoke with each villager. They helped them with matters that they could and in return the villagers worked hard to produce the goods that they traded with other larger kingdoms.

They were loved by their people and all the land rejoiced when it became common knowledge that Queen Felicia was expecting. The village and the King welcomed their new heir, Elliot, into the fold and life continued on. It soon became apparent that Elliot took after his mother most. He was sweet, tempered and kind. An avid reader he learned quickly but quietly. Within the year, he was joined by a younger sister. Again the kingdom rejoiced and the island prospered as young Natalie proved herself to be her father's daughter. Bright and tenacious even at the young age of two she showed that she was ready and willing to take up the gauntlet of prosperity her father had set out to achieve.

Growing and buzzing, the islanders lived in their kingdom and soon to all outsiders it became known as the Island of Happiness. It was said if you lived there you would have your wishes granted through hard work and with good cheer. But as all good things do, it came to an end.

On the day his eldest son turned thirteen, King Elias grew sick and weak. No one could say why or how it had come to happen but soon he was so sick that not even the queen herself was admitted to be by his bedside for fear that she too would catch the unknown disease. Doctors were puzzled and though many came to help heal him none could find the cause to his illness or a way to cure it.

Finally King Elias would allow no other doctors to try. He asked for his family to be brought to him and smiling at them although he had almost no energy left in his body, he spoke to his wife first.

"My love, I don't have much time left but I hope that you will allow me to tell you what I can… while I can." He coughed but when she reached a concerned hand out to stop him he held up his own to stop her. "My time is short but I go knowing I am loved and wanting only to tell you that you will also be loved."

He held out his hand to her and tears in the brown eyes he loved so well rolled down her cheeks as she held it.

Then he turned to his eldest son.

"I'm sorry. You are yet still so young and I am already leaving you such a burden. You are like your mother with your kind heart and that it why I know you will make a fine ruler someday. Trust yourself, son, as I have always trusted you." Elliot rubbed at his eyes and swallowed hard as his father's words but he refused to cry. He refused himself these tears for his father but still they rolled down his cheek and Elias did not protest.

Then he turned to his youngest. There were no tears in Natalie's eyes. She looked at her father's face with its cheerful smile and she smiled for him. Because she knew he loved to see her smile. "My daughter, you are strong and I know that you will bear the burden of my loss on your shoulders well. Don't be afraid to- Don't be—"

Another cough attack surge through his body and it is said he died with them present a smile upon his face. But the Kingdom of Sol no longer was the place of happiness it once had been. With King Elias dead many of the larger countries who had been allies saw it as their chance to take the 'Island of Happiness' into their fold.

Not even weeks after Elias was buried and Felicia became a widow was she proposed to by many of the same men who helped Elias to build the small country. She refused to marry them all. She could love no other and she knew that none could be the king Elias had been. With each refusal, the island lost more and more commerce and trade. Many monarchs even tried to use threats to persuade Felicia to give up her widowhood but she remained steadfast.

The island fell to pieces economically and soon only those whose faith and roots were planted deeply in the history remained. Many islanders left to find new land where the commerce was better and it appeared that soon not even the royal family would have the money needed. But Felicia kept faith and with those who remained she used all the money left to continue.

Finally, King Taro himself returned to the island, since Elliot and Natalie were still too young to take the reins of the country. Proposals still came in occasionally but with nothing left to take from the island country the larger kingdoms lack bite to convince Felicia and it has become a half-hearted effort. Only the will of Harvest Goddess and the superstition that if they tried a forceful take over has so far saved the kingdom.

Five years has passed and the prophecy has at last been spoken. The youngest girl left of the island, the priestess in training, Alisa Churchill. The Queen Mother and her father were the only two people to hear these words but they echoed through the halls as the shy, timid Alisa spoke the words with faith and courage.

_The goddess has heard our prayers; she sends to us a single star _

_So to renew our spirits and to reward our faith _

_Soon it will be among us but it will not appear so obviously_

_The star shall only be known for what it truly is to those who still hold their faith _

_So as hide it from those who might use it to gain power_

_Ask me not when nor how_

_For like you I know not_

_But take my word upon faith_

_The island's happiness will return_


	2. Within These Castle Walls

**A/N: Okay, so I've been working hard and steadily on this piece and I've decided to be bold and let the rest of the world see it. This is where the main story starts so let me know what you think. I'm hoping that you guys will like it. Vaughn will eventually be a central character but for now I am just working with the main royal family and Chelsea plus a few Oc's of my own. I hope you like it.**

**All rights and creative licenses to Harvest moon are owned by Natsume and the only character belonging to me is Hanna, who hopefully is not named after another HM character I've yet to meet...**

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

_I remember falling and falling. I remember being cold, being tired… aching all over. I remember the feeling of opening my eyes for the first time and seeing only endless sand. I remember the first sound, the waves as the rolled gentle up the shore, up my calves… Yet when I first woke I could not remember color my hair was, what color my eyes were. Who I was…_

"Lady Chelsea!" the voice echoed through the great hallways of the castle and collectively the castle sighed.

A skirt swished as the person wearing it ducked out onto the balcony and the newest member of the royal family took a deep breath. Slender and trim, her hair which at one time had been pinned up in a perfect French twist was falling down around her face only slightly curled at the edges from the effects of the hair styling and glinted in the sunshine like a new copper penny.

Eyes as deep and blue as the sea scanned the trees that lined sides the balcony but she knew she had no hope of climbing down them. In the dress she was currently trapped in there was no way she could scale down a tree. Most likely she couldn't even make it up on the railing before it was too late and she would be trapped. No matter how much she wanted to escape, she was cornered.

"Lady Chelsea…" her lady maid moved out onto the balcony with grace and no haste. Not a single lock of dark hair was out of place and she managed to look every bit as neat and orderly as Chelsea was currently disheveled.

Of course running away from school lessons will do that to ones hair if one is not careful. At least this is something she had fast learned.

Hanna, her lady maid, sighed, the only sound of disapproval she believed in, and softly pushed a lock of copper hair from Chelsea's face. "Must we go through this every time lesson time comes about?"

"Hanna, I hate lessons." Chelsea murmured although she dared not move as Hanna quickly and efficiently righted her hair as best as she could.

"Yes, well, it's understandable. Learning your world over again can't be easy. But there are must in life. And for you, my dear Lady Chelsea, this is a _must_." She tucked a strand of hair back into the French twist with a little more force than Chelsea believed necessary and smiled at her benignly. "Now please. Return to lesson room."

Chelsea smiled, because although Hanna could be rather blunt she was kind. "Just give me a little bit of sunshine? I promise I'll return—sedately walking like a lady should—to the lesson room if you give me… ten minutes?"

Hanna only looked at her for a moment her expression considering and then she nodded. "I'll wait by the doorway. We'll walk back together."

"Hanna, I…"

"You only have nine minutes left, my lady, are you sure you want to spend them arguing?"

Chelsea snapped her mouth shut and watched as Hanna turned. A small smile was the only sign that her maid had a sense of humor hidden under all the layers of proper etiquette. Sometimes she could be so surprising. A smile of her own kicked up onto her lips but as she turned to look out the second floor balcony it drifted away.

There were a lot of things she didn't know besides how much of a humor Hanna really had. To be honest she didn't even know what her real name was or where she had come from. She had only the memories from the time she had washed up on the beach a few miles from the castle and those were more sensory then actual memories.

She didn't know how she had come to wash up on Sol or who she had been before. But she must have been a lady they said for she carried herself as one and the simple white frock she had worn had been made of a fine material. So when Queen Felicia had found her on the shore half-alive, she did the only thing a gentle woman like herself could do. She wrapped her up in her cloak and brought her here to the Castle Sol to recuperate and recover her memories. And she gave her the name Chelsea, which meant 'seaport'…

She had been here for nearly a month and after waiting patiently she still could not remember. Sometimes it felt like there was something keeping her memories at bay.

"Ah, Lady Chelsea!" a voice hailed her from below and she leaned over to see the first prince Elliot on his docile mount. As usual his russet haired self was dressed in pale green brocade and his boots were almost the same shade as the Chestnut he was astride. "Avoiding your lessons again I see."

"Trying but I'm afraid I've already been caught by Hanna." She turned and saw her maid was waiting just outside the doors she had slipped through only moments before.

"Ah, yes, Hanna, she has always been a tough one to escape. Natalie only managed it a few times herself and I… well, I was never brave enough to even attempt it."

"Are you going into the village?" she said excitedly. She loved talking to Elliot because like his mother he was such a sweet person.

"Yes, I have to check on everyone. If there's anything we can do for each other in these times, we must…" he smiled then and Chelsea thought he looked sweet. Although she sometimes thought Queen Felicia had other intentions she really only thought of Elliot as a lovable brother.

"Yes, you must…" she looked up over his head for a moment and looked down at the village. From the balcony all she could ever see was thatched rooftops, although sometimes in the quiet of her room she could hear them going about their lives and hailing each other.

The people who remained on the island were those with faith and good cheer she had heard Hanna say once. She didn't know all the details but since she had come to the castle she had seen the worried look on the queen's face and watched the old King Taro mutter to himself as he passed her in the hallways. Sometimes she wondered if he even knew the Queen had taken her in. Even Elliot looked worried from time to time. Something had happened long before she had come and the island kingdom was struggling to make the ends meet.

Looking back down, she smiled again. "I'm envious I have to admit. I hope that everything is well in the village. Is it just you going?"

"No. I'm going along as well." A cool voice said from the shade and Princess Natalie, his younger sister, rode confidently to his side. Her horse, a dark gelding, was almost bigger than Elliot's and upon it she looked all the more cool and composed.

Princess Natalie in particular always seemed to be deep in thought and she hardly spoke a word to anyone. Even Chelsea who had tried her best to speak to her whenever they crossed paths was usually only met with cool, distant eyes and a simple nod. Having her speak now took her aback but she bowed her head to her and smiled as best as she could.

Natalie nodded and turned her horse to the village. "Come on, Elliot, we've got to get going. We're late as it is."

Elliot grimaced at his sister blunt attitude but then looked back up to Chelsea with a blushing smile on his face. "She's right. We have to be off. I supposed I will see you later?"

Chelsea smiled. She had gotten used to Natalie's abrupt behavior. "I'll most likely see you down at the library."

Since she was still learning everything again she had often spent time in the extensive library the royal family owned and that had original been where she had met the quiet Elliot. He had smiled then as he did now. Waving she watched as he started along beside Natalie and the two disappeared over the horizon. She envied them.

"Hmph. Ten minutes…" Hanna's voice broke into her reverie and turning she smiled her best smile.

"Sorry, Hanna, it was Prince Elliot… and I lost track of time."

"I know who you were talking to. It's because of who you were talking to I didn't interrupt. But now you're a half hour late for your lessons with all your dilly dally and your supposed to have an audience with the King Taro today…" her dark eyes looked her over and she shook her head. "There's no two ways about it. With the mess you've made of yourself running all over the castle you're going to have to skip your lessons. I will let Sir Nathan know. Come."

Secretly she was thrilled. Sir Nathan, her tutor and the local priest, was a nice older gentleman. Round with love of food and goddess he was sweet with his lessons and never pushed her further than she could manage but he was less than exciting at times. And she had wondered why she was dressed so richly today. She even had on a hoop dress with a train.

"Wipe that grin off your face. You'll be making up the lesson hour you missed on another day. It's only fair since Sir Nathan is taking time out of his day to tutor you."

She stopped smiling, of course, one always did what Hanna told you to but she still felt inwardly relieved. At least she would get to do something different today. That was always exciting. And she would get to finally speak to King Taro himself and thank him for his hospitality. She hoped she could recover her memories soon and then she could stop trespassing on the royal family's hospitality.

Today was looking to be a wonderful day.


	3. Rules and Freedoms

**A/N: Okay, so here's the next update, so sorry it took me so long. Time just plumb got away from me. This scene is mostly filler but I hope to introduce the characters as I see them. It will, of course, all be important later to the rest of the more meatier parts of the stories. I'm going to aim to try and update once a week starting next week. If I make it a goal it may just happen. I'll let you know if life all gets in the way. :)**

**_All Characters from Harvest Moon Island of Happiness belong to Natsume. Wish I owned them [especially Vaughn ;) lol]_  
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><p><span>Chapter 2: Rules and Freedoms<span>

Chelsea sighed.

Today was looking to be a wonderfully boring day.

King Taro had apparently schedule many audiences today and the one before hers had gone on longer than intended. So sitting politely and quietly to one side (in Princess Natalie's throne no less!) she was watching as a distinguished Asian gentleman and his son spoke earnestly with King about some commerce contract they were trying to establish with an outside Kingdom.

At first she had been interested by Chen (his first name was so unpronounceable the guard who had introduced him had fumbled badly through it and had blushed profusely so she was not going to attempt to remember it) and his son Charlie had walked in. Charlie was quiet but he seemed to know what he was discussing even at so young an age. The boy couldn't have been older than seven and yet he participated in the conversation easily, most likely because he had been raised in the trade since being a young boy.

Soon though talks about numbers and figures and the wants and demands from the other kingdoms to continue trade bored her to tears. It seemed that the outside kingdoms expected a lot from what Chen called the 'Island of Happiness' many times. He said it with such disdain, she could only assume it was some nickname that Sol had been given many years ago in happier times that was now consider something of a rude comment.

Finally the audience ended and Chen and Charlie had bowed to the King and Queen. They had even paused long enough to bow to her, Chen looking at her in a peculiar way, although she had no idea why. Still she bowed her head to them as well, more deeply than was required really. But she was quiet flustered by the attention of people. Since living in the palace it was the closest interaction she had had with anyone outside the palace.

When the doors closed quietly behind them, the guards took up their post outside the doors and she found herself alone with King Taro and Queen Felicia. Even Hanna walked away from her side out the back entrance from where she had been standing behind her chair the entire time. Suddenly the room felt too huge and too quiet.

It was King Taro who broke the silence.

Standing next to Queen Felicia, he looked like a tiny and old man. There was no hair left on his head but his eyebrows and mustache had grown into great profuse of hair. It almost made Chelsea want to laugh… he kind of looked like a chia pet…

"Chelsea…" the King was the only one in the castle who called her only by her name without title. It made her feel like he was her father—err grandfather, she supposed he was much too old to be her father, actually—and she liked it at times. But now she felt as if she were being called out on the floor for doing something horrible.

In fact, thinking back she realized that she had never been called to a royal audience with the King before. So what had she done to make him wish to speak with her? Maybe he had found out that she was doing her best to miss her lessons with Sir Nathan? Or maybe…

"I am sorry."

There were many words that she had expected to hear. She might have expected to be reprimanded or told she had not lived up to some castle rules. She might even have expected the king to kindly tell her that she could no longer stay here to recover her memories. 'I am sorry' was not on the very long list she had compiled in her head.

"Your majesty?"She nervously brushed at her dress.

"You look puzzled. Think a king as old ad me can't have regrets anymore?" as light twinkled in his eyes and under his enormous mustache a smile kicked up at the corner of his lips. "Since you have arrived I have been busy attending to other… important matters. But it was always my intention to speak with you, gel."

"I…I do appreciate it but—"

"I understand that you've recovered very little of your memories." He said speaking over her protest with an air of authority as one used to his way.

So she did the only thing she could. She answered. "No… I don't remember anything… Not even my name or where I originally came from. Sir Nathan has tried many things but every time… every time I feel like I'm getting close to a memory it just fades away… and all it is darkness and little pinpoints of light."

King Taro nodded and looked over to Queen Felicia who had been quiet up to this time. "Actually, dear, Sir Nathan is why we've called you before us… He believes the memories you've attained here in the castle are all you can attain… here…"

Chelsea felt dread trickle in but she only straightened her back. "Here?"

"Here within the castle walls." King Taro specified and the dread tightened constricting her lungs. She couldn't breathe.

Chelsea gripped her hands tightly in front of her. She wanted to close her eyes too but she kept them steadily on King Taro's face. The silence reined for a minute as Taro just looked at her and then Queen Felicia broke in.

"Oh, father, you're terrifying her." She sent her father a stern look and then looked at Chelsea. "What he means is that you are going to have permission to leave the castle and travel about whenever you wish instead of being cooped up in here all the time."

Chelsea released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding and Queen Felicia smiled benignly. "You are a guest here, my dear, and you shall remain one until your memories have recovered. Sir Nathan simply believes that within here in the castle, which is completely foreign to you, you will not recover any more of your memories. You need something familiar to trigger them."

Taro looked up at his daughter then. "I would have got to that soon enough, Felicia, if you have just let me." There was a decidedly put out look in his eyes though so Chelsea wasn't sure that she would have trusted him to tell her before she passed out from fright.

"So, Chelsea, you will have free rein of the castle grounds and a horse in our stables at your disposal. Her name is Evening Light and she's a particularly docile mount I brought back from my travels myself."

"Thank you, your majesty." She curtsied but after his theatrical pause felt embolden enough to ask. "Does Sir Nathan believe I will instinctively know how to ride or am I to hope it will trigger a memory?"

King Taro smiled appreciatively at her boldness. "You will have lessons with our stable master, Vaughn Montgomery. They will begin tomorrow afternoon in place of your lessons with Sir Nathan."

_Vaughn…_ the name sounded so stern, so rough… so familiar…

"…miss anymore, shall we, dear?" she drifted back to reality to catch the last of Queen Felicia's statement but there wasn't enough to understand it.

"Um… I'm sorry your ladyship…?"

Queen Felicia sighed patiently. "You will still be having a lesson with Sir Nathan once a week on Sunday. I trust we won't be missing anymore?"

"No, your ladyship." She cringed inwardly but she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that news of her escapades had reached the Queen's ear. "We will not."

Queen Felicia smiled. It was a kind and regal smile but she could almost see sadness in every line on her face. She wanted to know why but was afraid to ask. Still she dipped a curtsy. "Thank you, your ladyship, for allowing me time to recover. I know I must be a big burden with my uselessness at the moment."

"No person is ever completely useless, my dear. We all have our talents and out uses in life and if we don't help each other than who will?"

Chelsea smiled at that. Prince Elliot was his mother's twin no doubt about it. "Thank you for your time, your majesties." She dipped another curtsy and was startled when King Taro barked out a laugh.

"No need to be so formal, gel, call me Taro when we're in private. Might as well, you're as good as family as long as you're staying with us."

"Oh no I couldn't your majesty…" she waved her hand in denial. _She couldn't call the king by his first name… that would just be…_

"But, no father is right. And you must call me Felicia, I insist." Queen Felicia chimed in and she found that she couldn't deny her anything to those gentle eyes and smile.

"Well… I suppose if it's only in private."

"It's settled then. Now go and enjoy the rest of the day, gel, go walk in the garden and enjoy what's left of the sunlight." Taro barked his eyes still shimmering mischievously. "Too beautiful a day to waste any more of it indoors."

"Th-Thank you, T-T-T…Lord Taro." She stuttered over the name but in the end it was all she could muster and she felt the heat crawl up her face as Taro raised an eyebrow but he said nothing else to her misspeak. Dropping a curtsy she spoke a little more confidently to the mother queen. "Lady Felicia."

Turning she heard a small dainty laugh almost like the tinkling of crystals echoing behind her. King Taro barking laughter joined it shortly after and it made her smile. Since she had come to the castle it was the first time she had ever heard Queen Felicia laughed.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter we will finally meet our favorite quiet cowboy. Looking forward to your opinions... :P**


	4. Moonlit Meet

**_A/N: Alright, so I am a horrible, horrible human being. I promised you a chapter two weeks ago and I wrote it. Then came the beginning of school. So I wrote another chapter and planned to update the second weekend with a double update... more drama, more excuses... no story. Well now I am finally rectifying the delimna. Here is the long awaited update for 'Star of Happiness'. It's a double update.  
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**_Note that all _Harvest Moon_ characters belong to the wonderful Natsume and their brilliant inventive minds. Hanna is solely mine although she may accidentally bear resemblance to some character unknowingly, please inform me if she does, and unintentionally. Any relation is coincidenc_e.**

**_R/R!  
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Chapter 3: Moonlit Meet

_She couldn't sleep._

He could tell by the light shining from her window from the candle she had on her beside table. A pale figure paced back and forth looking all that she was; fragile and trapped. Sometimes, he knew, she opened her windows wide and leaned out the allowing the breeze to blow past her and billow the curtains and her dressing gown around her. She shined then from inside and from the candlelight behind her looking for the entire world like a beautiful and tragic princess.

But tonight she was too restless for even that.

The light faded inside and he resettled himself on the small guard-way where he would stay all night resituating the sword at his side. He remained for the lady's protection, of course.

Then the window opened.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Easing down the trellis one fragile and terrifying step at a time, she couldn't even begin to explain to herself why she was doing it much less to anyone else if they happened upon her now.

She really hoped they didn't happen upon her now. She had tied her dressing gown and robe to the side so that she could more easily reach the steps that the trellis made along the castle wall and looking down she wasn't quite sure it was covering her as decently as she might have thought.

She was pretty sure, in fact, Hanna might have a heart attack if she happened to look out Chelsea's window or much worse if she happen to be waiting for her below. But she had debated with herself and the fastest and best way was the trellis. It was!

Easing another step down further and being careful to avoid the lightly entwined vine flowers that was wrapped around the trellis, she took another deep breath and wondered what had possessed her to undertake this endeavor.

She hadn't been able to sleep. Again. Most nights she didn't. Most nights she sat up and stared the window and wondered. She wondered who she was. She wondered why she had come to this place. There were so many questions that she didn't have answers for. So many questions that should have seemed so simple and it bothered her.

Everyone was trying so hard to help her remember… but she just couldn't. Sometimes gazing at the distant lights of the village, the smell of gardens on the breeze, she could almost feel the memories tickling at the edges of her brain. She just couldn't grasp them.

Pausing midway on the trellis she looked down again. There wasn't too much farther to go, maybe about twice her height left. Still the further down the trellis she went the more she was thinking maybe it had been a crazy idea in the first place.

"Okay, we don't have time for this." She shook her head at herself and stepped another tentative step down. "You, Chelsea my dear, need to stop thinking. After we've have enough _brilliant_ ideas for the night haven't we? Like, oh I don't know, climbing down a trellis maybe? In the dark?... in a dress?"

Her last words echoed around her and she stopped long enough to look around and make sure no one had heard her. There was no one around now, of course. The guards were stationed up higher on the castle walls and they were looking for intruders who wanted into the castle, not out of it. Most likely, if she didn't fall and break something, no one would even know that she had made this little trip out tonight.

Slipping the last few feet without incident or too much groaning on the trellis' part, Chelsea breathed a sigh of relief as her slippered feet met soft grass which grew right up to the castle walls. Looking up she could barely make out the outline of her window. The curtains blew inward looking like twin ghost but since she often left them open to the breeze at night no one should notice.

No one would notice. It was like a mantra for her. Turning she looked out at the darkness around her. Thankfully the moon was relatively bright tonight so she didn't need a candle to see. A point she was grateful for because she was sure she couldn't have made it down with a candle in her mouth and one probably wouldn't have survived the fall if she had dropped it either. She made a mental note to hide one on the grounds if she ever planned to be out when it was darker.

Smiling at herself (look at her she was already planning her next great escape that was a laugh) she turned and walk resolutely towards the front of the castle and the pathway that led down to the village. She had never seen the village up close. Since the beach that she had been found washed up on was a private one that only touched the grounds of the castle on the opposite end of the island, and that was only after riding down the cliffside trails, the village was further than it had been safe for her to travel while she was learning about being a genteel lady again.

Lifting her skirt she paused as she neared the front of the castle. It opened up out onto a courtyard without much greenery and there was a fountain with a likeness of the royal family. She had walked past it many times on her way to Sir Nathan's church and it never ceased to amaze her when she saw a much younger Natalie with huge eyes and a big smile staring up at a man yielding a sword and holding a flower. Elliot looked much the same except he seemed to stand taller next to his sister, it really was amazing that they were only a year apart and yet so different.

But it was Queen Felicia's smiling face as she stood one hand holding the arm in which her husband held his sword that got to her. That was what true happiness looked like. Strength tempered with tenderness. She stared at the King now. He was someone she had never met. He had passed away many years ago. Thirteen years to be exact, Hanna had told her.

He had the same strong willed gaze that Natalie had inherited and yet like Elliot he wore spectacles and there was just the edge of a dimple. The siblings must have gained Queen Felicia's red hair, although there was no real way to tell what color the king's hair was now. The statue was all in bronze. She imagined he must have had dark hair to match his strong eyes. She wished she had met him.

A torch from the castle guards on the guard way overhead lit up the ground in front of her startling her and pulling back she leaned against the castle wall. She couldn't get caught now. She was only a few feet away from her goal. Thankfully the light moved on towards the back of the castle. It must have just been a sentry doing a quick stroll. Most attacks would be expect near the rear of the castle when the walls faced the sea and cliffs. She supposed.

She wasn't really sure, but she also wasn't going to waste the absence of guards. She supposed there could be another guard but she would have to take the chance and make a run towards the stables. There was a small line of trees that marked the pathway around either side of the fountain so she'd just stick close to them. Looking up one more time she took a deep breath and took a step forward with more confidence than she felt.

She figured if she looked like she knew where she was going most people would think she was supposed to be out. A few more steps out and when no one shouted at her she figured she was in the clear. Following the tree line along, she felt more than saw the castle start to drift away behind her. She was afraid to look back but also just more concerned where she was going.

She supposed that's how she had been living her life this last month in the castle. Afraid to look back at the past she couldn't remember so pushing forward into the life she was leading now. She was terrified that if she ever did discover who she was it wouldn't be who everyone seemed to think she was. She knew that the royal family was positive that she came from good upbringing and from a family who was surely searching the world for her. They seemed to ooze confidence in her ability to be genteel without question and they treated her as if she were part of the gentry already.

She felt less confident in herself. And if she were really this well-bred lady they believed her to be then why couldn't she remember. She was growing more and more frustrated with herself by the day.

Sighing she looked up at the sky and then paused as a building loomed on the horizon. She had never actually seen the stables. Elliot and Natalie often came from them though. Every day they rode their horses and before heading out to the village they circled the castle grounds to check and make sure no repairs needed to be made to castle walls. They were old and needed repair mostly from the wear of weather and time.

The building was worn as the stone walls around it. It was all completely made of wood and had obviously been handcrafted many years before. The roof was shingled and a few nails stood out in relief against the woods grain. Still it was a nice and strong building. A corral came out of one side and there were troughs for the animals, she supposed so they could graze while they enjoyed the good weather that was typical of Sol.

Walking closer she paused as she noticed that a lantern was lit in the doorway but there didn't appear to be anyone around so she stepped a little closer. A fresh trough of hay had been helped out as she stepped to the railing a shadow separated itself from the wall and pranced closer shaking his great silver and black mane in agitation.

The stallion was completely black although his mane and tail had streaks of silver running through them and his front right hoof had just a dash of white streak right above the hoof. Strutting up to the fence line, he flicked his tail and whinnied again. Chelsea had no idea what to do. All she knew is this horse was being far too loud.

"Shh… ah, it's okay boy." She stepped back hoping that if she did the horse would quiet down. Maybe he was just being territorial. "I'm sorry… I'm not a threat. I'm just going to walk by."

She held up her hands and took a couple steps to the side away from the stable and towards the gated entrance. But instead of quieting down the horse leaned over and whinnied again following her around the stable. He leaned forward so that his giant nose bucked towards her as he whinnied. He seemed like he wanted her to come forward again.

Taking another step sideways and glancing at the lantern but seeing no motion from the stable she stepped sideways again. Again the horse followed her bucking his head in agitation and leaning out towards her.

Curious, she stepped forward. She watched in amazement as the horse quieted down and tilted his head sideways as if to get a better look at her. His eyes were big beautiful brown and intelligent. Encouraged as he flicked his mane again without making any other sound, Chelsea took another step forward and reached out a gentle hand for the horse's nose. As she reached the horse leaned into her and she gently rubbed it. The horse closed his eyes leaning into her hand and before she knew she had nearly wrapped her arms around his big head trying her best to brush him down as he seemed to want.

"You're a big softy aren't you?" she smiled and the horse snorted giving his head a light shake. She laughed. "Here I thought you were trying to tell me to get away."

The horse whinnied and she rubbed his big nose straight down the center. "I'm Chelsea. What's your name?"

"Slate, what on earth?" the voice was unexpected from behind her and turning Chelsea gasped as she took in the tall stranger standing just outside the lantern light. He was dressed almost completely in dark clothes, aside from the peasant shirt underneath his vest which was opened at the top to the cool night air. He wore stable hand garb and had tall riding boots on. But he definitely wasn't from the gentry. "Who are you?"

"Ah…" Chelsea thought about telling him the truth for a second. But she thought if she told him that he probably wouldn't believe her. Telling someone you have no idea who you are isn't exactly a very good way to begin a conversation. And he didn't exactly seem friendly. "I…I could ask you the same thing."

The man raised an eyebrow and stepped forward pulling the black hat she had noticed him wearing back from his face and revealing a few locks of silvering hair. But he didn't seem that old. "I'm the owner of the horse you were just coddling."

That was when she noticed his eyes. He hadn't stepped too far forward but the lantern caught the deep shade of amethyst and seemed to throw light burst through it. She lost her voice for a moment. But apparently the man standing in front of her wasn't nearly so stunned. He tilted his head clearly agitated.

"You just going to stand there gawking?" he said and she regained herself as he stepped past her and nimbly jumped over the fence the one hand holding the bucket she hadn't noticed never once dropping it as he walked around the horse (Slate he had called him right?) and poured clear, clean water into the other trough on the opposite side of the corral.

"I, ah, that is. I'm Chelsea." She said and pulled her robe a little closer shut suddenly feeling all the more underdressed.

The man looked at her over his shoulder his eye covered by more silvery locks that fell over it. She wasn't even sure that he was actually looking at her or if maybe he was just staring off into space. Shrugging his shoulder, he turned and walked into the stable.

_Okay… normally this would be when you introduce yourself, sir. _Turning she looked at Slate but apparently she wasn't more interesting then water. The horse and meandered across the small corral to the other trough and dunked his great snout in it to drink his fill.

Feeling suddenly alone and outnumbered she turned and looked towards the gate and then looked back at the stable. The light still shone but apparently Mr. Anti-Social didn't deem her worthy of conversation. "Well, it was it was nice to meet you!" she called but getting no response turned and mumbled to herself. "Whatever your name actually is…"

She turned intent on making her way to the gate. Despite having been seen she didn't really think the silver haired man would tell anyone. Heck, he didn't even seem outraged that she was out late, just that she was touching his horse. "And where exactly are you headed?" a voice rang out and Chelsea turned to see that he had reemerged with a horse brush and blanket.

"I'm out for a walk." She replied and turned intent on her plans no longer caring to cater to this rude gentleman.

"A lady shouldn't be out this late walking around by herself. Too many wild animals." He said and she knew that he wasn't even looking at her.

She paused to look over her shoulder. "Within the castle walls?" He shrugged his shoulder and looked more deeply at his horses hide as he brushed it rhythmically and smoothly. "And I suppose you're going to suggest that you walk me back to the castle?"

He looked away from his horse then. "No… miss." He paused before saying the last with a nod but it appeared that he hadn't intended to give her even that courtesy. What sort of stable hand was he? "I was just going to suggest you turn around and walk right back where you came from."

"And if I have other plans?"

The silver hair brushed lightly against his dark shoulder as he shrugged. "That would be the wrong decision."

"That would be _my_ decision." She turned and faced him and he turned as well from the horse, but only to grab the horse blanket more firmly from his shoulder.

Chelsea was mad. She had had enough of everyone everywhere thinking that they knew what was best for her. Even meaning well, it was stifling but this man with his curt words was insufferable. Lifting her skirt she turned and walked right back up to the fence. She was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Then another horse clopped into view and all the fight drained out of her as Prince Elliot rode into view on his quiet sable. "Prince Elliot…"

Elliot leaped nimbly off his horse and took her hands in his. "Thank the goddess. Hanna went mad with worry the minute she discovered you weren't sleeping in your bed."

Chelsea blushed. Hanna must really have sent up the alarms if the prince went out looking for her. Stepping back from the prince's arms which had moved to wrap around her protectively she looked down at the ground. "I didn't… I didn't mean to make everyone worry."

Elliot nodded his kind brown eyes shining with reassurance over his glasses. Then he turned and looked at the silver haired man in the stables. "Thank you, Master Vaughn, for finding her. I won't be needing my horse, since I'll be walking Lady Chelsea back to her room. I trust I can… leave him in your care?"

The confidence in Elliot seemed to shrink almost to meekness as Vaughn (the stable master!) turned his eyes on him. "Of course, your highness." He replied and flicked his eyes over to Chelsea. "Good night, _Lady _Chelsea."

She looked down at the ground then. "And to you, _Master Vaughn._" She looked up at the prince. He smiled again. Gently and meekly but offered her his arm and taking it she walked back to the castle. Back to the solitude of living under the caring watchful eyes of the royal family.


	5. First Impressions

_**A/N: Here's the second part of the double update. Hope I'm writing Vaughn okay. He seemed to just want to hide in the corner for most of last chapter. Hope this one is better!**_

**_Note that all _Harvest Moon_ characters belong to the wonderful Natsume and their brilliant inventive minds. Hanna is solely mine although she may accidentally bear resemblance to some character unknowingly, please inform me if she does, and unintentionally. Any relation is coincidenc_e.**

_****_R/R!_**  
><strong>_

Chapter 4: First Impressions

Chelsea didn't know what to feel more embarrassed about, the fact that it was the prince (I mean the prince of the entire island country for goddess' sake!) or the fact that the snarling and uncaring man in the dark clothing who was apparently her horse riding teacher, goddess help her, had witness the entire scene in which she was unceremoniously dragged back to the castle like a child who had strayed too far from their family. There had been a smile in Master Vaughn's eyes. She had seen it.

But before she could do more than glare at the imaginary smirk, although she could swear it was there, Prince Elliot had gently taken her arm and pulled her back towards the castle. He nodded at Vaughn but other than asking he take care of his no words were exchanged. Oh but she could imagine the thoughts going on in Master Vaughn's head.

_This is the little chit I'm supposed to teach to ride?_

She nearly wanted to cry. She had planned to show up the next day in her riding habit properly attired and properly demure. She had hoped that for once someone in the castle would get to see her at her best and not floundering to be someone she didn't even feel like although everyone expected it of her.

Prince Elliot ushered her back into the castle and up to her room. As he did he smiled reassuringly. Stopping just down the hall from her door he paused and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Uh, Lady Chelsea. I…uh… have a confession to make…"

Chelsea turned to look at him, her arm still resting in the crook of his. With the light blush running across the back of his neck, he looked almost totally red. It was almost comical because it sort of looked like his hair extended down through where the blush was.

"You see I wasn't actually truthful about what I told Master Vaughn…" he looked down at the floor releasing her arm so she could turn more fully towards him. "I… that is…"

"There you are!" Hanna's rang through the halls as she hurried quickly to her side her usually perfectly in place hair bursting from its quickly rolled bun. Like Chelsea she wore a nightgown and robe although hers was made of much sturdier and older navy blue fabric. Even so underdressed she still looked as though she as dignified as ever. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? What are you doing wandering around the castle dressed as you are?"

"I… um…" Chelsea didn't have a clue what to say.

Fortunately for once Elliot did. "She was sleepwalking. I found her down in the foyer wandering about. Please don't be too upset Hanna, nothing happened. I swear it." The last statement ended almost on a squeak as Hanna turned to him her dark eyes growing fierce.

She stared at him intently and as Chelsea watched the blush on the back of his neck grew redder under the scrutiny. "And what were you doing out and about so late, Prince Elliot? You look like you were dressed for riding…"

"I…" Elliot cleared his voice determined to not squeak so much. "I was riding the perimeter. I couldn't sleep again." He said the last part almost a whisper and Hanna's eyes softened.

"Well, then count our lucky stars that you came back when you did. Heaven knows where the child would have wandered next." She said and then wrapping her arms around Chelsea she walked towards the door. "But next time, your majesty, I would appreciate it if you would come to me when my charge is found to be where she should not be. It would save me the heart attack I nearly had."

Elliot straightened but Hanna didn't wait for an answer as she maneuvered Chelsea into her bedroom and swiftly closed the door. Leading Chelsea to the bed she sat her down and removed the slippers on her feet.

Raising an eyebrow at the amount of dirt on the souls she only worked quietly as she crossed the room and took Chelsea's brush off the nightstand. Chelsea felt like there was a giant tension so thick in the air that if she reached out she could grab it. Or it might grab her.

Hanna sat behind her and brushed her hair not saying a word. The silence stretched out forever and looking over at the still open window Chelsea wondered how much longer she could keep silent. Finally as Hanna set the brush back on the dresser Chelsea couldn't resist asking.

"You know, don't you?"

"Know what, dear?" Hanna said as she helped her off with the robe and pulled back the covers.

"That I wasn't wandering in the foyer." She said refusing to sit for a moment. Inwardly she was terrified that Hanna might want to smother her with the covers.

Hanna smiled. "Prince Elliot never was a good liar. But what matters is you are unscathed from the whole ordeal and since no one else was awake then your reputation isn't harmed. Although I trust you realize the error in cavorting around the castle grounds in the dark."

Chelsea crossed the room and sat on the bed looking towards the window. "I just wanted to see the village closer." She looked back at Hanna. "My memories are so close to the surface, Hanna, I can feel them. And I just… I need to recover them soon. It's like there's something driving me towards it."

"You shouldn't rush the memories." Hanna said smiling as she pulled the covers over Chelsea and tucked her securely in. Pulling an old rocker she kept in Chelsea's room close she brushed a bang from her face. "They will come when they need to come. Rushing them will only make them run away."

She blew out the candle and Chelsea found herself in the dark, with only the moon shining in through her window. She heard Hanna walk softly to the door and heard it creak open and closed. So much for her escape…

The light from the moon was once again her only light and rolling over she stared out towards it. As she did her mind wandered back to Master Vaughn and his disapproving scowl. It was sad really. If he smiled she was sure he would look much younger than he did… actually she wondered just how young he really was. King Taro had never mentioned an age but she was sure that he couldn't be that much older than her… even with all that silver hair.

Sighing, she rolled over. She needed to stop thinking. She needed to close her eyes. She might as well rest well she could. Tomorrow she would have to face Master Vaughn and his silent judging face. And those amethyst eyes…

"Ugh!" Chelsea pulled the pillow over her face. But she knew that she wouldn't be sleeping. Not really.

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><p>Vaughn sighed. "I don't know what got into you tonight, Slate, but I've never seen you act like that." He tipped back his hat leaning against the doorway of his horse's stall.<p>

Solaris, Prince Elliot's sable horse, was already brushed down and put into his stall for the night as well. Next to him Lady Lake moved to be closer to him and the two put their heads close through the walls. The two were siblings like their riders but even though their temperaments were different they were very close.

He wasn't really worried about the royal horses though. Tonight Slate, his usually docile stallion, had been more than unwilling to return to his stall. He had kept pricking up his ears and looking towards the castle. It had been the girl who had walked out of the darkness like some kind of waif. He was looking for her.

At first when Vaughn had stepped around the stables to grab some fresh water from the well he hadn't known there was someone else there. Slate was a fairly expressive horse and it wasn't uncommon for him to become vocal. He had just figured Slate was trying to get his attention. But then he had walked out from behind the stable that's when he had seen her.

Under the moonlight with only the distant light of the lantern he had hung in the doorway of the stables, she had seemed to glow. Her robe and nightgown were white and shimmered and floated around her. Her hair was like a copper penny shimmering down her back. And she was wrapping her arms around his horse.

He hadn't even realized he had spoken until she had whirled around he had seen two big blue eyes staring at him in shock. A pale hand went to the collar of her robe and then she had straightened and her eyes had grown determined. She had been something.

He snorted and pushed away from the gate. Yeah, a distraction and if this meeting had been indication she was going to be a headstrong pupil.

His hat lifted off his head and spinning he looked at Slate who had apparently decided to forgive him. He smiled. Not something he did often but with Slate it was hard not to at times.

"Alright, alright." He took the hat from the horse who neighed and nudged him with his nose. "But I'll be expecting more out of you."

He rubbed a gloved hand down Slate's nose and looked out into the night. It was much later than he had thought. He had better call it a night. Tomorrow he had to face the dynamic _Lady_ Chelsea.

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><p><strong><em>End note: So there it is. Couldn't think of a really awesome name for Slate so if you can think of a better one, or even better a name long and complicated that includes slate as part of it, let me know. Sometimes when inspiration is lacking you must ask the populace as a whole.<em>**_** I want something like Chelsea's horse though, like **_**Evening Light**_**. Thanks in advance if you send out ideas and if I use any then I will be sure to give the person who suggested credit.**_

** _Until next time!_**


	6. Vague Recollections

**_A/N: Alright so yea... new update! I finally got past the small case of writer's block that I have been fighting through. Hopefully this chapter will not be a total flop. R/R... :)_**

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Vague Recollections<span>

_I feel lost. I feel alone._

_Beneath her feet the marble seemed to shimmer as her slippers barely made a sound. It was the castle and yet it wasn't at the same time. There was something so much grander about it and everything seemed to shimmer._

_**You are not alone.**_

_She turned and swore someone had been just been behind her. As she did she noticed the white gown she wore. The cap sleeves just brushed the edges of her shoulders and at the edge of the bodice the full skirt flowed out from her. It was so familiar, in its movement and in its feel. She turned and walked on, but no matter how far she walked the hallway seemed to never end._

_**Turn. Remember.**_

_She turned and yet all there was was endless hallway black with shimmering lights all around her. So she walked back, her feet suddenly carrying her as if she already knew where to go. As if she knew this place. And she did but she didn't._

_Doors opened before her and light shined all around. _

_In front of her. _

_Behind her. _

_From within her._

Chelsea sat up. But the hallway was gone. Instead bright sunlight had come into her room and already Hanna was busy fussing around the room. The curtains were flung open and her clothes were already laid out on the edge of the bed.

"Ah, good. You're awake." Hanna said with a bright smile as she hurried over to her side. "We've got lots to do today. You riding lessons begin today."

_Oh, crap….Master Vaughn._

Hanna crossed her arms and Chelsea looked up at her hoping that she would think the blush stealing up her face was something else. "Well, are you going to get up or will you be staying abed all day?"

"Yes, Hanna… I'll get up. I just… couldn't sleep." She murmured and she tried to remember what she had been dreaming about. It was so close to the edge of her mind but she still couldn't reach it.

"That would be what happens when one goes frolicking around the castle in the middle of the night." Hanna said matter-of-factly as she helped her dress in a smart light copper riding gown.

It was a mid-length gown designed to show off the dark copper brown boots underneath but would still be long enough to cover her as she rode. There were streak of red running through it and a bright red tie on the back. The colors accented her darker coloring by bringing out the copper streaks in her hair and making her eyes appear fiercely blue. Hopefully that would be enough to distract Master Vaughn. She doubted it though.

As she moved across the room she sat in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Her hair was wild around her face and her eyes were huge. The copper brought warmth to her skin and she thought she looked like a waif dressed in fine clothing. Like the dress in her dream… in the hallway…

"…expect that you will master it all today." She tuned back into Hanna's chatter as she sat in front of the mirror and allowed her to brush her hair back into a simple but elegant coif. "What? I'm sorry, Hanna, I was thinking… I didn't hear you."

Hanna sighed but smiled all the same. "What were you thinking about?" she asked quietly.

"A dream—no a memory I think… There was this hallway." She frowned looking down at her hands. All she could remember was a hallway and the fine dress she wore. "Hanna… do you really believe I come from a fine family?"

Hanna scoffed at her fear and pinning the last of her hair back she settled a small red headband which had small decorative petals pinned into it onto her head. It was her first real outing into the real world after all. Looks were important in case she ran into any villagers… that is if she made it past the stables today.

"Look at yourself, Lady Chelsea." As Chelsea did as she was asked Hanna smiled her dark eyes shining with love and something akin to pride. "I have worked for many the gentry in my lifetime and never have I met someone who shines with regality as you do."

A bang fell forward into her face and Chelsea smiled and looked at herself again. "I don't know how everyone can believe it so easily. I don't even know myself."

Hanna helped her stand and smiled as she brushed the bang gently back. "It is hard to see one's own star shining. Sometimes you just need a mirror in front of you to see it truly. So do keep that in mind to day and don't believe you must learn to ride again today. Take it one small step at a time."

"Ride again? … are you even sure I ever knew how?" Chelsea said still looked at herself over her shoulder as Hanna bustled quickly across the room to fetch the matching kid gloves from Chelsea's bureau.

"My Lady, anyone who moves as quickly as you do will not only have wanted to ride a horse, she would have learned to ride it as fast as a bat out of Hades…" she smiled then and handed the gloves over.


	7. Lesson of the Day

_A/N:_ _Aha! I have finally updated... the really sad part is that this is the second part of the last chapter and its been basically sitting around in my computer since the last update just basically waiting for me to fix the two little problems with it and post. *facepalm* I know. I fail. But so many of you have come to like it that I finally (FINALLY!) got off my lazy butt and updated!_

_I am already working on the next chapter and hopefully it will not take nearly so long to update this further. The really exciting part is yet to come. After all we have riding lesson...so what fun lessons await outside the castle walls?_

_Note: Sadly Harvest Moon does not belong to me and is copyrighted to Natsume. Hanna is the only character who is mine and hopefully she is not reminiscent in any way to any character in Harvest Moon as she is not intended to be._

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Lesson of the Day<span>

Chelsea fiddled with her riding skirt a little as she and Hanna walked slowly towards the stables. The sun was shining quite brightly again today. Of course it was the middle spring so she supposed that was to be expected. Really, from what she had heard every day was sunny on the island of Sol. Even in the winter. If she stayed long enough maybe she might find out.

"Now, remember, Lady Chelsea, one step at a time." Hanna said drawing her attention back to her as the stable came into sight.

Chelsea smiled, tugging her riding gloves on more securely. "I know, Hanna." She paused as they reached the top of the path and she saw the stables in decent light for the first time. It was the first time that she had actually come this close.

Looking at it now she noticed the building was antiqued but still in very nice shape. All wood it seemed that it had recently been repainted with varnish and the only sign of wear was the creakiness in the hinges on the doorway as they opened up to reveal Master Vaughn walking out a small dainty horse the color of a new copper penny.

She gulped down a terrified whimper as Hanna started forward. "Good morning, Master Vaughn."

Turning, Vaughn looked over his shoulder to see who had spoken and noticing it was Hanna he turned slow and nonchalant to tip his hat to her. "Morning, Miss Hanna." He said speaking gruffly.

"I've brought your charge for the morning," Hanna said walking delicately up to the fence with a smile on her face.

Vaughn looked over Hanna's head and as he saw Chelsea standing as properly as she could manage his eyes darkened. "Lady Chelsea…"

She dipped a very stilted curtsey in return unsure if he wanted her gone or perhaps meant that as a good morning. At least he tipped his hat politely at her _before_ grunting, tilting his hat down and turning back to the horse he had just walked out into the corral.

Hanna seemed unperturbed by his behavior and walked slowly back to Chelsea. "Now, remember what I said."

"Yes, Hanna." Chelsea said certain she wouldn't have to worry about taking horse riding too fast. She wasn't even sure that the horse and she would see eye to eye. Last night had shown her that some horses had very big personalities—she looked sideways at Vaughn who had removed the bridle from the horse and was now brushing it _(her? him? She couldn't really tell)_ down—like their owners.

Hanna nodded apparently satisfied that Chelsea was being sincere and smiled. "I'll be back at lunch time to bring you your food and we'll take a walk in the gardens for a break. And don't forget, you may not have lessons with Sir Nathan today but you still have some reading to do later."

Chelsea smiled, really she tried, but she just didn't like being indoors and reading usually meant in the library, closed away from the sunshine. "Yes, Hanna."

Hanna smiled. "I might even allow you to read in the garden today…_IF _you behave."

Now Chelsea did smile. "Yes, Hanna."

"Then I'll be off. Treat my charge well, Master Vaughn, I'll be back to collect her at lunch time." Hanna said throwing a stern look over her shoulder.

Vaughn turned and tilted his hat again. "Yes, Miss Hanna."

Then Hanna was gone and the silence seemed to stretch between the two for eons. Disturbed by the sudden quiet Chelsea nervously walked up to the fencing and waited as patiently as she could. But Vaughn didn't speak a word to her. Still she waited. He was after all her riding instructor. Surely he'd eventually decide to speak to her. Surely eventually he would _have_ to speak to her.

But the silence stretched on and Chelsea sighed turning to look at the stable doors. Peaking at Vaughn who seemed intent on brushing down the copper she decided it wouldn't hurt to get a good look inside. When she took a few steps and he didn't yell at her she decided it was a good sign and took a few more steps inside the stables.

The stables inside was just as clean as the outside. Although time had shown itself on the well worn walls and doorways it was clean. The smell of fresh hay was everywhere and the musty smell of horse flesh seemed a welcome accent. In total there were ten stalls and each one housed a horse. Slate, with his dark mane was by far the darkest of the horses and as she stepped a little further into the stables he immediately whinnied at her and shook his great mane.

She laughed. She couldn't help it. Slate was as outgoing as his master was taciturn. "Good morning to you too." She said as she crossed the stables and as she reached her hand up Slate reached his head down and the two met in the middle. It was clear he was as fond of her as she was of him even though it was only their second meeting.

Slate nudged her and she smiled. "Ah, you know already don't you?" she said as she stepped back and he bobbed his head excitedly as if answering her. Reaching into her riding jacket she pulled out a carrot she had filched from the kitchen this morning when Cook wasn't looking.

Slate whinnied again and gladly pulled it from her hand nearly chomping the whole carrot in one bite. Chelsea laughed again. "Good boy, if you eat the evidence then they'll be nothing to convict me with." She brushed a hand down his nose and smiled up at him as he munched happily.

"I see you and Slate are getting along." A voice said from the doorway that led to the corral and turning Chelsea saw that Vaughn and had re-bridled the copper and pulled her inside again (she was pretty sure it was a mare now because she looked so much daintier compared to Slate).

"Yes, well, he's not very talkative but we get on alright I suppose." She said feeling suddenly as she had been caught doing something bad. Folding her hands in front of her she felt the spark of impishness rise in her before she could control it. "And at least he's happy acts like he's happy to see me."

He turned a violet eye on her and looked up at Slate as he was still happily munching on the carrot. "Well, I suppose it's easy when you can bribe him." He replied as he locked the copper's gate.

"I don't suppose I can bring you a carrot and make you happy, can I?" she murmured not really sure where the words were coming from.

Vaughn turned to look at her more fully now, his expression quiet distraught for just a moment before he resettled his non-expression into place and shrug his shoulder. "No, I don't suppose you can… or _should_."

"Well, okay then. So glad to have that out of our way," she said feeling the blush running up her neck to her ears. It was times like these when her impish mouth ran away with her that she wished she could keep her hair down over her ears. "Do you suppose that we might learn to ride today?"

He looked over at her and then walking past her went to the corner stall on the opposite side from Slate. She watched him as he unlatched the door but he didn't say anything else. Finally as he walked inside and she waited. That's when he poked his head out and looked at her, his expression pointed. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Well, do you want to learn or not?"

Nervously stepping forward, she peaked slowly around the corner, saw the small and delicate mare and fell in love. She had a light cream colored coat and a mane of the purest blonde almost white hair which had just the slightest curl to it. It almost looked like she had a perm. There was a streak of white running right down her nose between two bright amber eyes and her left shoulder was mottled so that it almost looked like someone had brushed stardust there. The only other white marking was the skin right above her right hoof was all white.

This was Evening Light, the mare the king had told her about. She knew even before Vaughn stepped aside as if to offer her a chance to move closer.

"Hi Eve…" she murmured as she stepped slowly into the stall. Vaughn was already standing against the wall grabbing something from a hook but she paid him no mind.

The mare seemed docile but she approached her slowly just in case. It was a small space and she'd be nervous too if her room was suddenly crowded with people. Eve turned backing herself up slightly so she could see Chelsea better with one amber eye.

Apparently she wasn't terrified by what she saw because she flicked her mane and then turned to face Vaughn who had grabbed a bridle form the wall. Docilely, almost lady-like she nudge him and, for a moment, Chelsea could swear there was a small smile on his face as he looped the bridle gently into her mouth and then looked up at Chelsea. She knew before she even saw his face there was and would be no soft smile for her as he held out the reins before turning to grab a few more items and then turning out of the stable.

Alone in the stables, Eve and Chelsea eyed each other for a moment and then Eve moved walking towards the door. Chelsea followed. Although Eve was tiny compared to Slate, she had a regality about that begged her to be commanded. But when Chelsea stumbled, Eve slowed and she waited. By the time the two had reached the open doorway into the corral where Slate had been the night before the two walked almost in tandem.

Vaughn set the saddle onto the railing and then turning picked up one of the smaller items he had pulled from the stable and turning he seemed pleased if not ecstatic with the progress the two made side by side. "Good." He grunted. "Walk her around the corral. Make sure that she is following you and not leading you."

Chelsea turned and looked at Eve who seemed content to stay where she was but she nodded to what Vaughn said and gave a small tug on the reins. Eve moved, slowly fluidly but she moved and as Chelsea walked in a circle, so did Eve.

Chelsea grinned. She couldn't help it. That had to be good right? I mean Eve wasn't trying to pull her arm off and she wasn't staying put like a mule either. Turning her smile at Vaughn she thought he might smile or nod or give some sign of approval.

He just frowned tighter.

"Good, stop her by the water trough." He said halting Eve with his hand gently on her nose.

Looking down at her, Chelsea suddenly realized just how tall and intimidating he was. "Today you'll learn to care for her."

Walking around, he took the reins from her and tied them lightly to the post. Then he handed her the brush and pointed to the bucket behind him. Turning he walked away.

_What? Seriously you have me walk her around the corral once and you're done? Was it because I smiled?_

"And where are you going to be, mister riding instructor?" she asked as docilely as she could manage.

"I'll be doing my job." He said it without even looking over his shoulder. "This job, by the way, does not include babysitting spoiled princess who run around in the middle of the night for their own enjoyment."

She looked down at the brush in her hand and sighed. She knew that she shouldn't have worried about moving too fast. If Vaughn had his way he probably wouldn't let her on a horse til she was old and grey.

She sighed. "Lesson of the day: never smile at Master Vaughn."


	8. Princess Chelsea

_A/N:_ Hey Loyal readers, yes believe it or this is the one and only Angel, after more than a year I have no real excuse as to why this fanfiction has been put onto the back burner but I do hope that you will forgive me for the long wait and still enjoy the next piece to this. To make up I have two submissions (yes I know TWO whole submissions) crazy right?

I hope that you enjoy them and that they will help ease the anger that you may have towards me at this point and time. Thank you and R&R.

_Note: Sadly Harvest Moon does not belong to me and is copyrighted to Natsume. Hanna is the only character who is mine and hopefully she is not reminiscent in any way to any character in Harvest Moon as she is not intended to be._

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Princess Chelsea<strong>

She brushed Evening Light's sparkling white mane softly as she smiled up at the mare and giggled. She spoke with her horse softly her eyes sparkling sapphire blue in the sunlight. Each day she grew more shining, more beautiful as if her magic was glowing from inside of her.

"I'm glad that we decided it was best to let her leave the castle grounds. Already spending time in the sunlight has made her more radiant." Felicia said more to herself than to anyone else.

"She is…well, after all..." Sir Nathan replied from his position next to her. He still seemed rather unnerved by the whole idea and had been ever since Felicia had brought Chelsea home.

Nathan was a rather port man with a round face and a cheerful smile. At least that was how Felicia remembered him even from the time of her own childhood. Now from all the stress of King Elias death the man had begun to grey and though he was still round there was a gauntness to his face around the eyes she had never noticed. Though she knew him to be quite her senior he never looked it. He had told her the Goddess kept him young so he could spread her word.

"All she needed was some fresh air and open sky." He finally said easing a smile onto his face, although it seemed strained.

"You're worried that she isn't the one your daughter spoke of…" she said it as a statement of fact and Nathan turned to face the water once more.

They stood at the Goddess Lake outside the church at the top of the plot of land the castle watching Chelsea through 'the eyes of the Goddess.' It was ancient magic that one could enact through an offering to the Goddess.

"Are we sure, Sir Nathan? That she is the prophesied one?" she asked this time, needing the reassurance then as Chelsea saddled Evening Light. "I would hate to think we're doing this and it turns out she is truly just a girl who has lost everything… it's so very difficult without the added pressure."

Sir Nathan didn't say anything for a moment his dark eyes focused steadily on the small, frail girl as she stepped up onto the fencing to mount Evening Light. "We have waited many years since that prophecy was first spoken my lady. Thirteen years… of waiting. I can only say that if she is the prophesied one… we have waited and if she is not… fresh air and open sky will see be good for her."

Felicia turned her eyes to the waters once more guilt weighing heavily on her heart. She hoped he was right.

Chelsea stood at the top of the fence. Eve was tied securely to the post and watched her mildly as she grazed calmly from the trough. They were becoming close quickly and Eve had a great propensity for watching mildly as Chelsea got herself into issues. Chelsea had learned to groom her and to feed her the proper amount of nutrition and to saddle her. And yet for all her riding lessons (it had been almost two whole weeks!)  
>Chelsea had yet to actually ride.<p>

"But today, Eve I'm going to get into the saddle at least." She said, Eve just kept eating looking slightly amused.

"What in the name of the Goddess, are you doin'?" Master Vaughn looked less than amused as he hauled bale of hay out of the barn.

The corral was partitioned off today and most of the stables horses were quartered in different sections. Princess Natalie and Prince Elliot's horses were, of course, absent having been picked up quite early for their respective masters. Vaughn had been working hard all morning clearing out the horses, mucking out stalls and repairing the barn.

Chelsea sat down on the fence and huffed out a breath so that her bangs flopped down over her face. Pushing them aside she sniffed. "I'm just doing your job and teaching myself to ride since you obviously don't have time. After all, as entertaining as it is to sit around for hours on end watching you work so hard I am here to learn to ride."

Vaughn frowned. "And as I told you, Princess Chelsea, my job is to tend to the animals of the royal stable." He hefted the bale of hay over his shoulder and trudged it out to one of the makeshift troughs he had set out. "And unless I'm mistaken becoming my student has not transformed you into an animal."

She watched as he turned and went about his work. He'd pulled off his dark vest and was down to his peasant shirt whose sleeves he'd rolled up and which was quite sheer in places from perspiration. She'd never noticed how muscular his arms were but as she sat and watched she noticed them now. They lifted hay with ease and flexed as he mucked out the closest stall.

A slight blush began to steal up her cheeks but she refused to admit and kept looking. Despite the long hours of waiting around she had come to understand two things about Master Vaughn. He was much more comfortable with his animals and he worked hard. Very, very hard. She wasn't sure if he even had a first gear.

He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pant pocket and wiped at the sweat pooling there. "Take it you're sick of sitting around then?"

She looked across at him as he pulled his cap off his head and ran his fingers through the long silver strands of his hair. She felt the blush deepen and jumping down she turned her attention to untying Eve's leads from the post.

"Well, princess?"

She hated when he called her princess. She wasn't even a princess as he surely knew since the castle servants were the worst gossipers she knew. Of course, that was most likely why he called her that. He had a knack for irritating her in the worst ways.

"Yes, Master Vaughn, I am sick of waiting around for you." She finally replied as she turned back and found herself face-to-chest. Looking up she saw that he was quite close and had a small smirk on his lips.

"Well, put it that way, princess, then I have the perfect job for you."

Miss Hannah made her way gingerly down the hill towards the stables. Lessons for the last two weeks and not a broken bone to be found, thank the goddess. She could remember back to when Elliot and Natalie were first learning to ride. Natalie, who was much like Chelsea in her impatience, had broken her arm within the first week. Elliot had even gotten bruised.

But so far none of that had happened. So far Chelsea had only returned feeling down and saying she had learned so much but she still hadn't ridden. It was silly of her, but Hannah was relieved. She was getting a bit old to be dealing with broken bones and tears.

Still she knew that Chelsea wanted to ride more than anything else.

The stable came into view as she came to the top of the hill and she saw that Master Vaughn was herding the royal horses back into the stables. His hat was on one of the post and his vest lay next to it. "Good evening, Master Vaughn." She hailed him leaving the path and walking the side gate.

"Miss Hannah…" Vaughn looked almost shocked to see her. An uncharacteristic red seemed to steal up his neck.

"I'm here to pick up my charge. I trust that she has not been too much trouble." She looked behind him, expecting to see Chelsea sitting on the fencing with Evening Light looking sullen as was her habit. But there was no Chelsea in sight.

"I'll go… uh… locate her." He said and grabbed his hat off the post and plopping it onto his head before turning on his heel and entering the barn.

Hannah frowned. Vaughn was short and curt but he was never anything but polite to her. Not only was his behavior verging on rude it was also uncharacteristic and as a lady maid of royalty she had long ago learned tell-tale signs of deceit.

Walking to the other side of the corral she lifted the latch and pushed open the corral making sure to securely close and lock it behind her before walking gingerly across the corral and into the stables.

Inside she would never have suspected what she would come across. Chelsea, never the tidiest of her charges, looked positively the dirtiest she had ever seen her. There was straw in her hair and dark smudges across her face, which she could only hope was mud. Her riding habit dress was pulled up and tied securely to her belt to keep it from dragging in the mud and her boots were stained with mud and more straw.


	9. Shadows and Light

Update part 2!

_Note: Sadly Harvest Moon does not belong to me and is copyrighted to Natsume. Hanna is the only character who is mine and hopefully she is not reminiscent in any way to any character in Harvest Moon as she is not intended to be._

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Shadows and Light<strong>

"Miss Hannah is here to pick you up." Vaughn walked in with a bucket in his arms and a horse blanked over his shoulder and no other words that he could have said could have terrified her any more.

"What!?" she covered her mouth quickly lowering the volume of her voice. "Why on earth didn't you tell me it was getting close to that time?"

Her hands went to her hair and her eyes grew huge. "I need a mirror."

Vaughn held out his bucket. Grabbing it she looked down at her reflection and nearly had a heart attack. She had been working on mucking out Eve's stall since early that afternoon. Almost immediately she had found her riding dress may have been suitable for sitting daintily upon a saddle but not for mucking out a stall. So using a tie from her hair she had pulled the dress up and secured it so that she would have so much less to maneuver around in the tiny stall. That meant that her legs were covered in mud and goddess knew what else.

And that mud had made its way to her face. She had smudges all across her cheeks and on her hands and on her arms. Her hair was full of straw, though that she could at least fix by rebraiding it. She looked down and was relieved that at least her dress had mostly survived without much staining. At least not any more that she usually got. Grabbing the blanket out Vaughn's hand she wet it and scrubbed crazily. She got most off and then untied her dress brushing it out to smooth it. Then she went to her hair pulling as many piece of straw out as she could manage. Quickly rebraiding the mass she tied it and looked up at Vaughn as she moved to the window to pull on the kid gloves that she had at least had the foresight to pull off and put on the window sill.

"Well?" she said standing before Vaughn. "Do I look presentable? She won't take to waiting for much longer."

Vaughn had bent to pick up the bucket to toss it out the window most likely to get rid of the evidence. Stopping he looked up his eyes shaded by the hat he had pulled back onto his head at some point. His expression as always was almost unreadable. His dark eyes looked over her slowly from head to toe. He did this once then twice and then paused looking at something on her face, or her head or somewhere. Intent he stepped forward his gloved hand reaching out. And for a moment, Chelsea felt her heart beat racing, almost pounding in her head.

He stood only mere inches in front of her and she had to look up to keep eye contact. Then gently as if she were a fragile piece of china he reached out and pulled a straw piece out of her hair. "You missed a piece, princess." He said simply.

"Thanks… I guess, Master Vaughn." She looked up at him thinking that she hadn't noticed just how tall he really was.

"You know," he said still looking at her intently. "You're not what I was thinkin' you would be."

"Really?" she should have said something more. She should have had a flashy comeback or a snide remark. But as he quietly looked down at her, his eyes shadows in the shadows of the barn it was all she could think to say.

"Yea, you're tougher." He turned away then and walked to the doorway to Eve's stall. "Good work today. Looks like you've learned all the things you need to know to take care of your horse right."

Still in shock from being under his intense scrutiny Chelsea found that she was out of breath as she turned to face him. "Does that mean there might be some riding lessons actually occurring this next lesson, Master Vaughn?"

He looked over his shoulder and for a moment in the shadows she could almost swear that there was a small smile playing across his lips. Hauling the bucket over his shoulders, he jerked his head to the stables main doors to the corral. "Miss Hannah's waiting, princess. Don't keep her too long."

That said he turned and exited out the back of the stables, his muscular body highlighted by the lamps outside the doors.

Miss Hannah. Right. She had forgotten that was why she was scrambling in the first place.

Brushing her hands over her hair one last time, she unconsciously brushed it one more time over where Vaughn's hand had warmly brushed over her skin. Shaking her head she took a deep breath and walked out.

Miss Hannah was standing beside the corral her hands folded neatly over the front of her skirt. "Miss Hannah, sorry to keep you waiting. I was just saying goodbye to Eve. We're getting really close and it's getting harder each week."

Miss Hannah raised an eyebrow as she looked her charge over but no other expression crossed her face. Taking a hand out she inspected Chelsea's skirting and hmphed. "I can see it is getting harder." She tsked again but made no other comment before turning to make her way back to the castle.

Chelsea ducked her head sure there was going to be a reprimanding on the way but none was forthcoming. Instead the ladies made their way silently back to the castles and to Chelsea's chambers. Hannah moved efficiently and quietly as they entered her rooms calling for one of the lesser maid to run a bath for Lady Chelsea but she said nothing else to her.

Chelsea sat down in front of her mirror waiting for anything but nothing came. Slowly she relaxed her mind drifted. She thought of the past few weeks. Once the bath was run she slipped off her dress and stepped into the warm waters. Hannah left her, as was their habit and alone with her thoughts Chelsea could only think of his shaded eyes as he reached for her hair. For her.

Her heart thumped loudly. Her face warmed and then at the same time she felt… like as if she had seen that face before. Like she had known him to do that same movement that same look… she knew it and yet she couldn't place her finger on it.

Sinking lower into the warm bath water she let the thoughts slip away as she relaxed. It was so close and yet so far away from her… she just… couldn't….

Sleep took her before she could complete the thought.

_She found herself in that great empty hallway again. This time she could see that although there were no walls she knew that this was a 'hallway' of some sorts. All around her black with bright lights shimmering at a distance as if lighting every step that she took. The gown she wore rustled as it brushed the ground although for all that she could see she saw no floor. She knew where she was going. She had walked this way many times._

_Pausing she looked around her feeling as though she were a part of a bigger whole, a whole she could feel but that she couldn't quite grasped in her hands._

_Hello?_

_Her voice called out and yet no words escaped and no one answered._

_**She will see you now…**_

_The words brushed against her like a warm and familiar caress but as she turned she found that she could see no one who had spoken. It was only her and the endless maze of… light and dark. No one was there and yet the words were so close to her as if that person could reach out and touch her._

_She moved forward, rushing now. Seeking… looking for the… Something that she knew was there. Ahead suddenly the dark began to give way. A great light, brighter than all the rest seemed to glow and grow bigger and then that light engulfed her as an immense doorway suddenly appeared before her. _

_The handles were like polished silver, etched deep with intricate winding designs. They curled and wrapped back towards the shining bright white marble that was the doorway in front of her. Across both doors a giant tree with wide expanding bows that seemed to expand even past the borders of the doorway had the same winding, intricate design. Looking closer it almost appeared the two handles were roots that had come out and curved back into the ground, just enough of a hold to grab onto. To open._

_She reached out her hands in front of her to grasp the handles._

…_**some cannot be…..for…..**_

…_**.there ….limits to which…..**_

_**...granted…no matter…wish….**_

_The words came to her garbled, pieces missing and she hesitated. The voice that spoke them was so familiar._

_I must open this door, beyond here. There must be a way beyond this door. She looked down at her small delicate hands; they were silvery as the door before her. They were shining like everything in this mad dream world. _

_Must…open…_

_She reach out her hands again and grasped._

Nothing.

Jerking forward, Chelsea gripped the air her hands grasping at nothing. Around the water sloshed and coming back to herself she realized that she was in the bath and that already, the water was growing lukewarm. She had just fallen asleep… and yet.

"Limits…What in the world was that?" she looked down at her hands. They were small and delicate, but very warm looking and very much no shining. "Ah, Chelsea, you were just overthinking things again…Right?"

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><p>AN: So yea there we go. Let me know what you think about this latest development with Vaughn and Chelsea. I am trying to subtle start hinting at things. Hopefully it's not so subtle that it confuses you. Working on the next part of this story and hoping to add in a few new characters within the next few chapters. I even have a plan where this is headed crazy right? Well see you soon. Please review and let me know what you think.


	10. More Than You See

_A/N: Hi Loyal Readers, Angel Here again. Picked up the Harvest Moon bug and decided to bust out a few more chapters. Reviews have kind of dropped off so I'm not really sure if you guys who were following this still are but I want to at least attempt to finish this. So here's the next chapter. It's a little bit of filler but I introduce a few new characters and kind of show a little into the minds of Chelsea and Vaughn. R&R and enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Harvest Moon and all characters belong to Natsume. Hannah is my one and only creation and is not intended to be a character from any other Harvest Moon franchise despite any unintended similarities._

**Chapter 9**

Vaughn stretched his arms over his head as he sat up in bed. His muscles were sore from the long haul of mucking out the entire barn and reorganizing. He cleaned out the stalls on a daily basis but it was necessary to do a complete changing of the beds once a week. The reason he had planned do so on one of his lesson day wasn't completely an accident either. He'd hoped that it would dissuade her from coming back. Maybe she'd ask for a new instructor.

Still, Chels—Lady Chelsea had handled it quite well. The image of her standing in front of that stall looking irritated at him was fun to remember. And when he had handed her the pitchfork and pointed to the stall instead of getting immediately affronted that he would suggest such a thing she had looked at the fork then at herself and then stall. A look of pure determination had crossed and she handed him back the pitchfork.

That's when he waited for the tirade. The irritated, privileged tirade where she told him exactly what she thought of him and how she wondered why she wasted her time believing he'd change. It was a talk he'd heard many times… for many different reasons. Instead she reached to the end of her perfect braid and pulled out the tie and letting her copper tresses fall down around her face.

And then she reached for her dress, looking up she'd fixed him with her deep blue eyes. He probably looked shocked, or maybe he'd looked normal he couldn't tell. His brain wasn't working. He wasn't even sure why she looked at him challenging him like that until he spoke. "Turn around and be a gentleman won't you?"

He'd immediately turned and faced the stable wall as he felt a small blush steal its way up his neck. Feeling insecure he reached for his hat when he realized that it wasn't there… So instead he'd just stared at the wall as intently as he could as the rustling behind him continued.

"You can turn around, Master Montgomery." She said and as he did he saw that she had used the tie to pull her skirt to just above her knee. That had exposed her ankle boots and a generous expanse of leg without revealing much else. She had nice legs. Taking the pitchfork, she'd walked away then without another word.

He brushed a hand through his hair, banishing that image of her from his thoughts, which flopped right back over his eye and he mused that he needed to get it cut again. Standing up he walked to his window and looked down at the small field in the back of the home he shared with his aunt and cousin. The sun was barely peaking up over horizon in the distance and he knew that he only had a few hours before he'd be needed up at the castle.

Just enough time then. Dressing quickly, he grabbed his hat and vest but didn't don them yet, he took the stairs down two at a time, careful as he could not to make much noise but he knew that she would be in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Vaughn." A cheerful voice greeted him as he rounded the corner to the tiny kitchen. A pot was on the fire in the fireplace and something delicious was boiling away. Not a surprise when Mirabelle Barton was at the helm.

"Morning, Aunt Mira." Setting his hat and vest on the back of a dining chair, he meandered over to the small water pump house in the kitchen and pumped out a bowl of water to wash his face with. Turning back, he saw that she had already ladled out a bowl of porridge for him and was busy counting the eggs she had no doubt rustled from the hens earlier this morning.

As he ate and she counted they sat in relative comfort but he knew it wouldn't last. Mirabelle was one for action, for words. "I always worry when you're not up and about before the Sun." she mused, still busily counting eggs.

"Had a hard day mucking out all the stalls for the stables yesterday is all. A little sore today." He replied as he finished the last of his porridge and walked to the sink to rinse out the bowl.

"Oh?" she replied and he turned to look at her with her warm round features looking intently at the eggs in front of her. "Had nothing to do with the newest edition to the castle then? I heard you're to give her riding lessons."

A small smile curved the edge of his lips. Nothing escaped the notice of his aunt, but this was one thing he refused to discuss with her. "How's Tess feeling this morning?"

Mirabelle looked over her shoulder at him but she saw the look in his eyes and realized that it was as far on the topic that he was willing to discuss. She sighed. She had really wanted to know if the rumors were true… but it looked like there was no way that her loyal nephew would reveal that to her. "She seemed a bit drowsy this morning. She's close to bursting at this point so I think we'll be seeing her drop by next week." She replied and done counting the eggs moved to go down to the shop.

He nodded. "Good. It's been a long wait but that means only good things for us all." He replied and pulling on the vest he grabbed his hat and set it comfortably on his head. "I'll just check in on her before I leave then."

He meandered over and kissed Mira on the cheek before he left.

Mirabelle turned as the door downstairs closed behind him musing that he seemed exactly like_ him_. "I think you'd be proud of the man that your boy has become. I hope that you're up there looking down on him with pride…" she murmured to herself looking up as if she might be able to see her brother smiling down from somewhere. "Mighty proud."

"Julia! Get up, you lazy goose! We've got a long day in the Shoppe today and I'll not have you wasting it away in your bed!" she called as she made her way down the stairs into her shop. She didn't expect she'd get much of a response but she knew that her daughter would be getting up, happy or not.

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><p>"…Chelsea…Lady Chelsea." The voice snapped her out of her reverie and Chelsea turned back to look at Sir Nathan who sat across from her his cooling tea gripped in his hands.<p>

His sandy hair was just starting to pull back from his forehead and his blue eyes had paled to an almost grey with his age and despite that it was hard to say his exact age. She did remember Queen Felicia mentioning at least once that Sir Nathan had been the priest on the island when she was a little girl. She wondered silently for a moment if he had looked much the same then as well.

"Um…sorry, Sir Nathan, you were saying…?" she stifled the yawn she always felt when she was in one of her lessons with him. "I'm afraid my mind is just… wandering today."

"Well," he smiled. "No more today than any other… but I was asking how your lessons are going with Master Montgomery?"

"Ah, my lessons…" she looked down at the book that was opened in front of her. Her own cup of tea was always cold. She never really drank it anyway. "They have been very educational for me. I'm learning a lot about myself and about my mount. Evening Light is becoming quite the closest friend I have."

"I see. What are your thoughts on Master Vaughn?"

Chelsea looked up then feeling as if Nathan knew something that she didn't. "His methods are…" she looked down at the table again and felt her mind wander. A few weeks ago she might have said 'domineering' or 'mercenary.' But now… "Innovative is the best word, I think. Because of them I learned things I would never have expected to learn."

She thought about the dream she'd had the other night. "And I feel that I am remembering… something…. I just can't quite grasp it."

Sir Nathan looked up as she said that. "Really? How so dear?"

She looked up at him and saw a spark in his eyes. She explained the vivid dream that she could remember and how pieces of it seemed to be fitting together more. "But every time I see this dream I always know it but I can't remember. It's all so bright like as if I can't remember what the hallway looks like or the castle or place that I'm walking through."

"That's good, that's very good my dear. I knew that I made the right suggestion." He stood and walked to the stained glass window depicting the goddess looking down from the heavens looking down on the representation of the King and Queen with their first son, Elliot.

Sir Nathan stood by the windowsill for a long moment looking staring at the goddess. He stood for so long and the silence was so awkward that Chelsea wondered if she should have mentioned her dreams. Perhaps he was thinking of a polite way to tell her she was crazy or that she should stay within the castle walls or…

"Let's take a walk down by the Goddess Lake, my dear." He said suddenly and Chelsea looked up to see him holding out a warm round hand which had an insignia ring on the pink with a strange 'M' marking just like the necklace he wore around his neck. "The night air will do us both some good."

She nodded mutely promising herself she would stop having inner freak-outs. No one was going to kick her out in the cold. Everyone here cared a lot about her. Even Vaughn did, in his own quiet way, although she hadn't noticed it at first.

Together she and Sir Nathan walked out of his private study and past his small pedestal. Outside a small pebbled path that to the right of the small church from its position on top of the hill at the furthest west part of the castle grounds. The building itself was cobbled and ancient although its walls showed that it was well cared for and the four stain glass windows on either side always glimmered as if they were freshly scrubbed. One set of windows, including the Goddess' Blessing looked into Sir Nathan's private studies but afforded a viewer from the outside no view inside. The other stained glass windows depicted various important events with the goddess watching down over the island.

Just a little further down the way, Goddess Pond was a small, glassy surface in the glittering moonlight. Around the pond, set far enough back so as not to interrupt the tranquility, two small pedestals with torches that were always lit gave the only soft glow.

Keeping a steady tread, the two walked in tandem beside the tranquil waters. "Do you know the legend behind these waters, Lady Chelsea?"

Chelsea looked up at the stars and breathed in a big sigh. She loved the feeling of being outside beneath the stars. It was the one thing she loved about her late lessons with Sir Nathan. But it was rare that Sir Nathan would insist they come outdoors. Typically she could only enjoy the stroll after the lesson. Still she was glad, especially since the topic of study was the one thing she seemed to have retained so easily.

The first day she had been allowed to enter the library she had seen a giant book sitting open on the table. It was legend of the island.

"It's said that the Goddess of Harvest lived high up in the heavens, her only companions the stars. The stars were the goddess eyes and ears for they spent their days watching the people of earth and listening to their wishes. In return they whispered these people's wishes to the Goddess so that she could grant their every desire and see their happiness. But simply watching the lives below was not enough and so the Goddess decided she wanted a place that she could witness the happiness more up close." She paused seeing that the lake seemed to be like the entire sky itself before them.

"So she searched the world and her stars, wishing for her happiness as well, told her that there was an island with a small lake whose waters were the stars themselves. Through the lake she watched over the island and legend says that those who are purest of heart and closest to the earth can summon her by giving an offering."

"Very good, Lady Chelsea, very… accurate."

She couldn't take her eyes away from the waters though she was aware that Sir Nathan was almost shoulder to shoulder with her. Something felt right here. Something felt familiar. It was almost as if she could slip into the waters and wash away with them into the sky, into the universe.

A flower was thrust into her face and she stepped back the spell broken as she looked from the yellow bloom up to Sir Nathan's face. "Shall we test this Legend?" he said and there was that spark again of interest in her reaction.

She looked from him to the flower… a Moondrop Flower. Taking it delicately in her hand she looked at its soft petals and smiled. "But Sir Nathan… it's only a legend. Surely… the Goddess would have more important things to do than answer the summons of mere commoners."

"Ah, Lady Chelsea, I am quite sure that you are not a _mere commoner._" He said the last words with such stress that she felt uneasy all of sudden. But instead of showing it she smiled and leaning over the lake edge she eased the flower into the water and though its stem sank the flower itself floated.

Crouched as she saw she watch the flower float away a yellow star on a vast tranquil ocean of stars reflecting back from the dark of the waters. She watched it and part of her waited for something to happen. But of course nothing did.

She looked up at Sir Nathan then. His pale eyes fixed on the flower as it floated to the center of the lake. "Well, at the very least, I'm not important enough for the Harvest Goddess this evening…" she said as she stood and straightened her skirts.

"Lady Chelsea."

Whatever Sir Nathan may have said in return he never got the chance as Hannah walked up the pathway her neat tidy hair haloed in the lamplight that was lit at the pathway that led back to the castle. "Ah, Hannah!" she waved and then remembering herself turned back to Sir Nathan. "I trust our lessons are complete for the evening?" she said more formerly.

He turned then almost startled from his reverie. "Ah, yes, yes of course. Good morrow, Lady Chelsea. I will see you next Sunday for our usual lessons."

"Of course, good morrow, Sir Nathan." She dipped a curtsy and sedately walked down to the pathway without looking back.

Sir Nathan remained upon the lake's edge watching as the flower drift back and forth as if pulled by some unknown current. Slowly as he watched and the echo of footfalls drifted away Sir Nathan could see what Lady Chelsea would not allow herself to see. Just at the edges of the flower petals, fireflies had gathered dancing upon the petals as if attracted by some unknown force.

A ghost of a smile inched at the corner of his lips. "Oh no, Lady Chelsea, you are so much more… You just don't… see it. Yet."


	11. The View

**Chapter 11:**_ The View_

_A/N: Okay, loyal fans. I had a brainstorm and have been prolifically writing... hence why I am updating this at 3 am when I probably should be asleep. Anyway, I have a chapter that I can't wait to post coming up but I need to do a little filler and a little character growth so here we go again with our favorite cowboy/famer duo in their fantasy world. R&R please! _

_Note: Sadly Harvest Moon does not belong to me and is copyrighted to Natsume. Hanna is the only character who is mine and hopefully she is not reminiscent in any way to any character in Harvest Moon as she is not intended to be._

_It should also be noted that I have only ridden a horse twice in my lifetime so everything I have in here about horses is from those measly experiences and lots and lots of internet research so if there are any problems with the way I write things and you have knowledge of this please feel free to kindly correct me noting that I am an admitted novice in knowledge of this and don't know any better if I write something that is incorrect and/or impossible. Thanks._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Chelsea fussed with her braid nervously as she and Hanna made their way down to the royal stables. She didn't know why she was feeling so fidgety today. It was just one of those days… Vaughn with his violet eyes ten inches from her face flashed through her mind and she felt the blush steal up her cheeks.

She supposed that could have something to do with it.

She had never been that close to a boy before… well, at least not that she could remember. And his eyes had been so dark in the stable with only the dying sun reflecting in them. She needed to stop thinking about Master Vaughn's—Master Montgomery's eyes._ Even if they looked sinful in that lighting? Even then! Stop!_

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back Hanna who was walking along sedately without saying a word. The lady maid had only known her for a short time but she already seemed attuned to Chelsea's mood and when she wanted to talk. But today, there was something else.

"Hanna? Is everything alright?" she asked and Hanna looked over at her in surprise coming back from whatever daydream she had been caught up in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lady Chelsea. I was thinking… what did you ask, dear?" she said smiling gently.

"I was asking if you were alright. I know I was being quiet but you seem distracted today."

"Yes… well," Hanna looked at her and another smile spread across her face. "That was very well noticed Lady Chelsea. I am a bit worried. Recently there has been a large influx of castle employees coming down with the flu and in particular the Queen's chief lady maid has been feeling rather ill. We're so understaffed as it is…"

Chelsea smiled as an idea struck her. "Why don't you take over for the lady maid so she can recover then?"

Hanna looked at her as if the idea shocked. "Oh no, I couldn't. Not with you as my charge…"

Chelsea smiled puffing her chest out and walking as stately as she could. "Why, Miss Hanna, I'll have you know that I have it on great account that I am acting as a proper young lady should."

Hanna smiled again although this time with more amusement than merriment.

"I was trained by the very best after all and I'm sure if you need to I can have another younger lady-in-waiting take over your job for a few days so you can keep things running smoothly."

"I'm sure that if I leave you in the hands of younger maid, you'll scare the daisies out of her in a few days' time." Hanna replied but she stopped on the path and looked down at her.

"A few days? Miss Hanna, you slight me, I will be the model decorum of lady-dom." Chelsea said crossing a finger over her heart and holding up her hand. "I swear upon my heart."

Hanna looked at her, her eyes searching Chelsea and then she nodded. "Very well, of all your ideas I believe this one is made in good intentions and not simply to miss lessons and race around the gardens at your pleasure. I'll arrange it all when I return to the castle while you're in your lessons today then."

Her lesson… that was right. She had to face Master Vaughn and his—no, thoughts were to be kept on the straight and narrow and that was that.

"Speaking of your riding instructor… did anything untoward occur this last lesson passed… you seemed rather not yourself on the walk back to the castle."

The image of Master Vaughn's eyes shimmering in the setting sun as he pulled the straw from her hair flashed in front of her eyes and the blush stole up her cheeks but she forced herself to smile brightly_. Thoughts… straight and narrow… Now!_ "Untoward… Miss Hanna, of course not. Master Vaughn simply showed me the finer points of horse care and bounding with one's mount." She said brightly. _And that he looks darn good without a shirt on. Dang it, stop it brain… you aren't supposed to think of things like that!_

"Hmm, I see. Well, that does ease my mind." Miss Hanna replied and Chelsea had a sneaking suspicion that Miss Hanna didn't believe a word she said.

Thankfully the stables came into view and there wasn't much more time for talking. Slate and Eve were both already out in corral and Chelsea face lit up as she ran (not nearly as lady-like as Hanna would've liked) to greet them at the gate. Standing on the railing both horses moved over to her and happily nudge her.

She pat Slate's nose and hugged her arms around Eve who docilely allowed her rider to manhandle her with more grace then Chelsea would ever manage. "Hi, you two. I brought you both a treat today…" she said as she pulled the two carrots she had weaseled Cook into giving her this morning out of the little pouch she had started carrying on her hip for riding lesson days.

With her riding habits, it looked less weird but she was seriously thinking she might put it on under her poufy dresses for more storage. Both horses happily took their carrots, Eve more docilely than Slate of course.

"Can always tell when you've arrived, the horses go crazy." Vaughn said and Chelsea looked up to see him hauling a saddle out of the stable. "Miss Hanna, nice day out today isn't it?"

Miss Hanna smiled. "Yes, it is beautiful." She looked from Chelsea to Vaughn but neither noticed.

"I can't help it if your horse likes me more than you do." Chelsea said defensively as she hopped down off the fence.

"Bribery, that's all I have to say." Vaughn replied his eyes intent on checking his saddle for any damage or burrs. "Well, what are you waiting for? You know where your saddle is, princess?"

She smiled then. He was finally making good on those lessons she had long been promised. "Yes, Master Montgomery!" she said mock saluting him as she nimbly bounded over the gate and headed inside. Eve curiously followed after her and Vaughn shook his head.

"Well, I can see that things are running smoothly here. I'll just be on back to the castle." Miss Hanna said smiling. "Oh, and Master Montgomery, please keep my charge cleaner than the last time I picked her up. She is striving for lady-dom it appears…"

Vaughn nervously cleared his voice and tipped his hat. He felt it might be better than verbally acknowledging anything. Miss Hanna smiled and turned to walk away. He could almost swear she was humming…

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><p>"All done and ready for inspection, Master Montgomery." Chelsea said brightly poking her head into the stable where he was brushing Slate and mucking his stall.<p>

Shaking his head, he ran a hand down Slate's nose and walked out of the stall careful to keep his exuberant stallion in his stall.

"Let's see how we did." He murmured more to himself then Chelsea.

Vaughn walked around Eve pulling at her saddle and checking her straps to be sure that they weren't too uncomfortable for the horse. Everything looked good. Next he checked the bit and the throat strap and nose strap. All looked right. Despite all appearances, Lady Chelsea was an apt pupil when she applied herself and she had listened to his direction completely.

Eve looked comfortable and as usual stood docilely by as he inspected her. She always reminded him of a fine lady playing court. It was like she deigned to be here and yet with Chelsea she had slowly warmed up and had even become infected enough with Slate's exuberance to come to the gate, slower and more docilely of course, when Chelsea appeared.

"Alright, time to get into the saddle." He said turning to look at Chelsea who smiled so wide he was afraid she might hurt herself.

"Really?" Vaughn just looked at her. What was he supposed to say? "Uh—right what am I saying you never say anything you don't mean. Okay."

Walking up to Eve, you could tell that Chelsea longed to run and jump and be wild but she had learned that while Eve tolerated her exuberance the horse preferred that she moved slower. Smiling she walked to Eve's face first and patted her gently running her fingers down her nose. "Alright, Eve. We're finally going to try this alright?"

Eve nickered pushing her nose fully into Chelsea's hand and Chelsea seemed to take it as a good sign. Placing her foot into the stirrup, Chelsea grabbed the horn of the saddle and pulled herself up and over while Vaughn held the reins and waited for her to find her balance.

"Whoa… it's a completely different view from up here." Chelsea said holding onto the horn and looking out over the hillside. Her face almost seemed to glow as she daringly took her hands off the saddle horn and lifted both arms to the breeze that ruffled her hair gently and took a deep breath.

Clearing his throat, Vaughn tried not to concentrate on that. Clicking his tongue he started Eve forward and Chelsea lurched forward grabbing onto the horn. "Whoa." Chelsea looked down at him then. "Hey, you didn't say anything."

Vaughn didn't look up at her again. "When learning to ride, a rider has to learn to follow the lead of their horse. You may be telling her where you want to go but unless you're in tandem and balance with your horse the only place you're going to end up is face first in some mud. This isn't some game where you jump on the horse and suddenly you can ride with ease and speed. You have to learn to roll with your horse and keep your posture."

Chelsea didn't say anything to that and he looked up and saw that she was looking down at him with a strange look in her eyes.

Feeling uncomfortable he looked away again, concentrating walking Eve at a slow pace than a little quicker. Looking up he saw that Chelsea was closing her eyes feeling the roll of Eve and she corrected her balance easy enough. Easier than he had ever seen any beginning rider do before.

"Keep your posture straight, just as if you're walking with a book on your head like you princess do." He said, and Chelsea opened one eye to look at him.

"We do not… and you better be careful Master Montgomery or I'll think you have a sense of humor." She said and closed her eyes again, her hands on the horn her body rolling easily with the horse.

All was quite around them except the sound of Eve's hooves on the ground and the distant sound of the other horses' in the stable. Vaughn actually felt more relaxed at this moment then he had in a long time. It was the kind of thing he loved. Horses and quiet. Sweet merciful quiet.

Looking up from under the brim of his hat, he could see that Chelsea still had her eyes closed and he thought maybe she wasn't so bad. When she wasn't running her mouth off a thousand miles a minute she was actually really insightful. The animals loved her and she loved them back nearly as much if not more. And she respected them, which was more than he could say about some nobility he had run into in his time.

Whoever she really was outside of this moment and time, it wasn't really any of his business but as he clicked Eve up into an even canter careful not to allow the horse full reign he thought, whoever she is maybe I misjudged her.

Chelsea opened her eyes then and without a thought he slowed Eve down and halted her. The two of them were locked for a moment by their eyes only. Hers were the brightest blue, even brighter than the wide open sky behind her. It was one of the first things he noticed about her, he thought and then cleared his throat again. Fidgeting with his hat, he looked down and then back to her face.

"Right, well, I think you've got it. Ready to try handling her yourself." He said lifting the reins up and over Eve's head to her.

"Yea." She smiled, not brightly or forcefully. It was just a smile, subtle and soft. Taking the reins in her hand, she gripped them lightly not pulling back or wiping them in her hands. She just took them and waited. "So… how to tell her move?"

Vaughn fidgeted the hat again. He suddenly had the strangest urge to smile and he was pretty sure if he did he would never hear the end of it so biting down on the urge he walked to her side.

"She's trained to respond to sound and the squeeze of your legs on her side. That's why it's important you don't use your legs to grip her. For a walk…"

The two passed the rest of their lesson time in relative accord. Chelsea learned and she learned quickly and by the time Miss Hanna arrived to pick up her charge she was navigating the corral in nice lady-like strides almost as one with her mount. It was difficult for Chelsea to say goodbye but good-naturedly Hanna perched herself under a tree and waited while Chelsea stabled her horse and Vaughn went back to his real job. He had to remember that whatever he thought. Her stay was only temporary. After all, once she remember who she was she'd be running away from this place and living out her life as she should.

No one wanted to stay on this island anymore anyway. The only people who stayed stayed because they hoped or because they had no other hope left. Most days he wasn't really sure where he stood… just that he had to stay.


End file.
